


talk

by ballerinaroy



Series: romione drabbles [25]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, F/M, Fluff, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:07:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28868259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ballerinaroy/pseuds/ballerinaroy
Summary: While Harry and Ginny are enjoying their several sunlight days, Hermione manages to distract Ron.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Series: romione drabbles [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870747
Comments: 7
Kudos: 45





	talk

The room was filled with merriment at their victory. High of their Quidditch victory and the spectacular piece of gossip of Harry and Ginny, the pair long gone to enjoy a well deserved moment alone. It left only her and Ron. She watched, with some delight, as Ron continued to ignore the other girls from their year and the years below coming over to congratulate them.

“Hermione, think we might go and see where Harry’s gone off to?” Ron said, trying to sound casual. “Give him a play by play.”

He wasn’t fooling her. And she didn’t think it’d be good for any of their friendships if Ron interrupted.

“I’ve got a better idea, grab a couple of butter beers,” she said, for once turning a blind eye to drinks that couldn’t possibly have made their way into the school through official channels. “Let’s go for a walk.”

Ron looked ready to argue until he processed what she’d said. “But-“

“Please?” she asked in a voice she knew he’d agree with.

Ron sighed, plucking several off the table and passing them off to her.

The corridor outside the Gryffindor common room was much cooler. Quieter too. Hermione could hear herself think for the first time in ages yet somehow could still hear Ron’s racing thoughts.

“Think we might find Harry?” he asked in a seemingly casual voice.

“I thought we might check out the astronomy tower,” Hermione said casually, grabbing his arm and tugging him along before he could protest. He groaned, trying to pull away.

“Really, I think-“

“Come on, Ron,” she said, giving him another tug.

Their hands slipped and she retained her grip only at the last second, only now their hands were placed together. She didn’t pause for them to adjust, tugging him down the corridor and up the stairs. Halfway there he stopped fussing, yet their hands didn’t separate. Even after they walked side by side. It put Hermione’s arm at a bit of an odd angle and when she let go of his hand to correct the angle he waited for her to place her hand back in his instead of pulling away.

The gesture sent a not so foreign feeling through Hermione. They’d held hands before, though not in such a relaxed context. Usually, it was to keep from separating while the battle raged around them. But in the calm, there was time to reflect on how nice it was.

Hermione braved a glance at Ron to see if he might just be amusing her but his face showed no discomfort or pain. Too soon they reached the final, narrow flight of stairs and at last, they separated.

“I’m right behind you,” Ron said, holding open the door so she could pass.

“Thanks,” Hermione said, starting up the winding staircase.

Only halfway up did she remember the reason that she’d been trying to distract Ron and hoped that Harry hadn’t chosen this as many couples did as a private place to spend a few minutes together. She hurried a few steps ahead, making noise so Harry and Ginny might have time to hear them but when she reached the top, the deck was vacant, only the setting sun as a viewpoint.

Ron caught up to her as she tried to pretend she wasn’t panting and she watched him do the same sweep of the room, looking equally disappointed and releived when they didn’t find their friends.

“This looks like a nice spot,” Hermione said at random before Ron could suggest searching in another place.

He was scanning the grounds now, but when his search came up fruitless, he nodded, producing a spread of candy and cakes from his pockets.

“How did you manage all this?” Hermione asked, impressed as she unloaded the Butterbeer bottles and cracked one open for them both.

“Years of practice,” Ron said, dropping down beside her at last. “Whenever they had a party at the Burrow we wouldn’t be allowed in the kitchen until things started. We had to be sneaky.”

“Impressive,” Hermione said, picking up a chocolate frog and biting off its head. “I’m sure it’ll come in handy when you’re an Auror.”

He gave her a funny look.

“If that’s still what you want to do of course.”

It was strange how little she felt she knew about him. Months spent not talking to him and whenever they spoke it was as though he’d grown up years in a span of their estrangement.

“It is,” he assured her. “Just don’t think thievery is a highly looked upon skill for Aurors.”

“I dunno,” Hermione said, explaining herself. “If you need evidence, or to swipe something. I just think it could come in handy.”

Ron shrugged, considering it but didn’t say anything more, his eyes once again sweeping the grounds below them as though he could make out the specks that were students.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Hermione offered at last. He looked over at her. “Harry and Ginny?”

“Oh, er,” he picked at the label on his bottle. “I just. Did you know?”

“Well, I knew about Ginny of course.’

“I thought she was over him,” Ron said. “That it was just a childhood crush.”

“It was,” Hermione agreed. “And then it wasn’t anything and then…you both have grown up so much these past couple years, I can’t blame her for finding him attractive.”

Ron opened his mouth and then shut it. For once she had no clue what he was about to say.

“You’re allowed to be upset,” Hermione said, guessing.

“I’m not!” he said heatedly and then after a pause said in a more believable tone. “I’m not, honest. It’s just a bit strange. My best mate and my sister.”

“You never talked about it, with him?”

“No, I mean, we don’t really talk about that sort of thing,” Ron said and Hermione raised her eyebrows. “I’m serious, we haven’t had a conversation about girls all year.”

“Not even about Lavender?” Hermione tested.

“I mean, we talked about how I was dating her, sure, but it’s not like before…” he trailed off. “And before we started going, I didn’t really notice her, and then we were so…”

Hermione waited to see if he might go on, provide some of the missing pieces of conversation they had yet to had. But he shook his head and Hermione knew the topic was closed.

“Should we? Be talking about who we fancy?”

She struggled to contain her laugh at the irony of the situation but managed to see the sincere question on his face.

“You and me?” Hermione asked.

“What?” Ron asked, alarmed. “No, I just…I mean you and Ginny do, don’t you?”

Hermione shrugged. “Sometimes.”

“So should Harry and I?”

“I don’t know,” Hermione confessed. “I think it just depends on your friendship. Like, there are things I don’t talk to you about and you’re my best friend.”

“Oh?” Ron asked, rounding on her. “Do pray tell, what sort of dirty secrets are you hiding from me?”

Hermione snorted. “Believe me, if I thought you wanted to hear about them I’d tell you.”

“Go on,” Ron egged. “Feels like we haven’t had a proper chat in months, tell me something I don’t know about you.”

It was that expression, the eager one, the one where she knew she held all his attention, the one she’d missed so very much that forced her to pause and think.

“Can I tell you about how I embarrassed myself at Slughorn’s Christmas Party?” the expression on his face made it clear he hadn’t forgotten the broken promise to attend together.“I promise you’ll have a laugh.”

“Oh, alright then,” Ron said, settling down and watching her.“But if this one doesn’t make me laugh, you owe me a story that does.”

He’d barely noticed it getting dark but suddenly, when Ron glanced up the sky was bursting with stars where the clouds let them break through. It took his breath away a little, the way they were twinkling at him. Beside him, he heard a giggle and he glanced over at Hermione.

“What?” he challenged in a jovial manner.

“You look…happy.”

And he did. In fact, he felt better than he had in weeks. Ever since he and Lavender had broken up, there had been a certain cordialness between him and Hermione but now, just like the clouds had parted, he felt the barrier between them lift.

“The stars,” he said, leaning in and pointing up as if Hermione was unaware of where they were. “Look at them.”

She amused him, following to where he was pointing but after a second he saw it register for her too. The little gasp, the adorable way her lips parted and eyes twinkled with delight.

“I’ve never seen so many,” Hermione said.

“Someone never paid attention in astronomy,” he teased and Hermione looked at him, ready to argue but then her smile was back.

“You know what I mean,” she said even though he really didn’t. “I never got to enjoy them in class, I was half asleep and trying to do a good job.”

“Ah,” he said, turning his head back towards the night sky.

“We’ve missed curfew,” Hermione said suddenly with alarm.

Ron, more casually, glanced down at his watch. “So we have.”

“We have to get back,” Hermione said, getting to her feet. “If we get caught by the prefects-“

“Hermione?” he said, even as he got up, vanishing some of the wrappers. “We are prefects.”

Yet Hermione didn’t look comforted by this fact. Rather her frown only deepened. “That’s worse, you do know that’s worse, right?”

He nodded, putting on a serious look.

Seeing through him, Hermione let out an exasperated sigh. “We’re supposed to be setting an example, Ron, think about how this’ll look.”

“We’re only off by a few minutes,” Ron comforted her as they set off down the spiral staircase, following Hermione who was practically at a jog.

“It’s half an hour past,” Hermione hissed, glancing out into the corridor before setting off at the same brisk pace.

Ron didn’t argue with her, still amused that she could get so upset over breaking the rules even after doing just that dozens of times. Luckily they weren’t far from the common room and given

Without any warning, Hermione grabbed him and shoved him against the wall. Too stunned for words, he stared down at her, wondering what might have come over her for this new development. Already he was ducking his head to kiss her when he realized that this wasn’t making a move on him and rather staring down the corridor.

“What?” he asked, following her line of vision.

“I hear someone,” she whispered, pressing closer to him.

Without thinking, Ron put his arm around her and she looked up at him in surprise. The pair which had just appeared by one of the hidden staircases stopped, stooping into the shadows and falling silent.

“What do we do?” Hermione whispered when the other pair did not emerge. “We can’t get back into the common room without them seeing us.”

Indeed they’d come to a stalemate, the entrance to the Gryffindor common room down an equidistant corridor. They couldn’t emerge from their simi hiding spot without seeing one another.

“Exert our authority,” Ron said, pushing away from the wall even as Hermione tugged on his arm to hold him back. “Hermione we’re prefects, remember?”

“Oh,” she fussed, not letting go of his hand as Ron walked, confidently down the hall.

“Oi!” he shouted. “I know you’re there.”

“Ron?”

He knew that voice. Ron watched, with some degree of nausea, as Harry and Ginny popped out from an alcove meant only for one.

“What are you doing out so late?” Hermione asked, one hand on her hip.

“I could ask you the same question,” Ginny replied, looking down at their joined hands pointedly which promptly separated.

“We were out for a walk,” Hermione explained, “Lost track of time.”

“Right,” Harry drew out the word, “A walk. So were we.”

Hermione flushed.

“Funny, somehow our walk didn’t involve getting twigs in my hair,” Ron said, reaching over and plucking some piece of wood from his sister’s plait.

She turned a dangerous shade of red and Ron noticed that Harry stopped meeting his eye.

“Come on,” Hermione said, glancing around the corridor again. “We’d better get back.”

The four hurried up the corridor, Ginny giving the password and it was only once they were safely inside did they speaking.

“Harry, ready for bed?” Ron asked.

“Er, I’m going to say goodnight to Ginny,” he said, his cheeks turning pink as Ginny led him over to a more secluded corner.

“Good night,” Hermione said, steering Ron away from Harry and Ginny who looked like they had more on their minds than a simple goodbye. She marched him all the way over to the entrance to the boys dormitory and gave him a pointed look.

“I’m going to have to talk to him eventually you know,” he pointed out, a little annoyed that she was running so much interference.

“I know,” she sighed, “just, let him have this.”

“He didn’t even tell me,” Ron said. 

“And you should talk about that,” Hermione said, glancing over at the couple who were entwined around one another with wide smiles. “Just, give him tonight.”

Ron couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Harry so happy and gave a resigned sigh. “Alright.”

Giving up on interrogating (and quite possibly beating up) his best mate, he turned his attention to Hermione. “It was nice tonight, talking to you.”

She looked surprised to hear it. “Yeah, it really was.”

“I’m glad we could put it behind us.” He said, without really naming it. “That we can hang out again without it being weird.”

A smile spread across her face and suddenly he realized they were standing very close, her arm still interloped with his.

“I missed you,” she told him sincerely.

“Yeah?” he asked and she nodded. “Me too.”

They stood there for another minute and Ron got the same feeling he did when Hermione had shoved him up against the wall. Only now, he wondered whether or not the expression in her eyes meant she was thinking about kissing him too. But he was no good at reading signals, Lavender had pointed that out to him for all the times she’d been flirting at he’d missed it, and the moment passed.

“Goodnight, Ron,” Hermione said, letting go of his arm at last and as she walked away he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.


End file.
